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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26626246">Mmm, It's Always Better When We're Together.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/OTPGirl/pseuds/OTPGirl'>OTPGirl</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Erik and William [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Black Friday - Team StarKid, Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Au where Nick wasn't killed, He doesn't deserve this shit, M/M, Nick is a prick, Poor William, Torture, Whump, Wilbur is Erik's dad, also, say hi to nick!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 07:00:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,965</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26626246</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/OTPGirl/pseuds/OTPGirl</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It's William's High School Reunion, and Erik bumps into a familiar face.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Erik Herbert/William Herbert</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Erik and William [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1759258</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Mmm, It's Always Better When We're Together.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tonight is an important night for William, and therefore that means that it's an important night for Erik. Tonight is the night of William's high school reunion. Erik never really saw the point of a high school reunion, he didn't really have many friends, and the few he did have he had to drop contact with when he joined P.E.I.P. </p><p>But apparently, William has a lot of people he wants to see again, and this is the best chance to see all of them again. He also shares that he might want to show off his hot husband in front of his first boyfriend, and Erik can't say no to that. </p><p>Erik is dressed in a pair of black dress pants with a burgundy button-up shirt, buttoned all the way to the top, tucked in. It goes very nicely with William's lighter outfit choice of khakis and a seafoam blue button-up with the top two buttons open, Erik's dog tags visible hanging around William's neck.    </p><p>William is talking to some of his old friends, and Erik volunteers to get drinks for William and himself. William gives him a kiss on the cheek before returning to his conversation.</p><p>Erik goes over to the bar and orders two drinks. Another body slides up next to him on his right as he's ordering, but he pays this other person no mind. </p><p>As the bartender makes the drinks, Erik turns his attention to his phone, checking to ensure he doesn't have a message from anyone at P.E.I.P.</p><p>"Well, hello there, gorgeous. Fancy seeing you here." Erik freezes. He knows that voice all too well. His head snaps up, and he finds himself face to face with... Him.</p><p>"Nick." Erik's hand reaches for his gun, before quietly cursing. William had convinced him not to bring it. Neither of them had expected this.</p><p>"What the hell are you doing here?" Erik tries to keep his voice low, not wanting to attract attention to the situation. Nick holds his hands up in front of him, almost like he's mocking Erik.</p><p>"I was invited. It's my class reunion, after all. Funny, I never realized that I went to school with dear William. Perhaps I should go say hello, catch up  with him." Nick moves away slightly, and Erik's hand shoots out, grabbing him tightly by the arm and holding him where he is.</p><p>"You're not going anywhere near him." Erik's voice holds a clear threat, but it doesn't scare Nick. </p><p>The bartender reruns with the drinks, seemingly oblivious to the tension between the two men.</p><p>"Your total is $14.50." She informs him and before Erik can process what she said, Nick pulls a twenty out of seemingly thin air and slaps it on the bar. He looks away from Erik as he slides the bill towards her. </p><p>"Keep the change." His attention returns to Erik. "This was fun. The three of us should catch up sometime. I had so much fun with you both one on one, it would be great to recreate that with both of you at once." </p><p>He effortlessly pulls his arm free of Erik's hold and pats him on the cheek before disappearing back into the crowd.</p><p>Erik stands there for a long time, staring at the spot the Nick disappeared from. His hands are shaking, but whether that due to the anger or fear is anyone's guess.</p><p>Nick is here. That... That can't just be a coincidence. There has to be something more behind it. What if he's after William again?</p><p>Oh God, William. Erik all but sprints across the room. The drinks sit forgotten on the bar, but Erik wouldn't have taken them anyway. He won't accept anything from Nick again. Nick does things like that for a reason, and it's not to be kind.</p><p>William seems to hear Erik approaching, he's not exactly being quiet after all, and turns to face his husband. The easy smile on William's face melts into a look of worry and he meets Erik halfway. </p><p>"Erik, what's wrong? Your shaking." William asks softly, a hand coming up to cup Erik's face. Erik's eyes flick across the room quickly before he leans in close to his husband, whispering in his ear.</p><p>"Nick's here." William stiffens, and Erik pulls back. Will's face is pale, his eyes wide, and his hand moved to rest over a particularly large scar on his stomach that Nick left him with. </p><p>"Are-" William swallows heavily. "Are you sure?" </p><p>"I'm sorry, Will. It's all my fa-" William cuts him off by pressing a finger against his lip.</p><p>"Stop. Nothing about Nick is your fault." Despite how afraid William is, his voice is full of love and conviction, leaving no room for arguments. Erik leans forward and captures his lips in a kiss.</p><p>The kiss is short, but that's alright. They have all the time in the world for longer kisses. Later. First-</p><p>"We should go." Erik says, the two of them so close together that his lips brush William's as he talks. William doesn't verbally reply, he just nods. </p><p>Erik wraps his arm around William's waist and pulls his close, not in a possessive way, but a protective one. William's hand reaches up and fiddles with Erik dog tags from where they hang on his own neck. </p><p>The two of them calmly, as calmly as possible, make their way out of the building. They're almost to their car when Erik feels the familiar feeling of the barrel of a gun pressed against his lower back.</p><p>"You had to make this hard, didn't you Erik? You couldn't just... drink the damn drinks, could you." Nick hisses.</p><p>"Will, run." William looks at his husband with wide eyes. Erik can't really think that he'd abandon him. Nick cock's the gun and speaks up.</p><p>"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Will. Otherwise, Erik will get a bullet in his spine."</p><p>"What do you want from us?" William doesn't know how, but he manages to keep a waver out of his voice. </p><p>"I want Erik to suffer. He made me look like a fool in front of my boss. You, well, you're just unlucky enough not get caught in the middle. Collateral damage."</p><p>William looks over at Erik, who's jaw is clenched tightly. He looks more angry than scared. Hopefully, that's a good thing. Erik is an amazing person, he's so kind and thoughtful and genuinely just wants to do good, Will doesn't understand how anyone could hate him as much as Nick seems to.</p><p>"Willy, why don't you give me both your and Erik's phone. We wouldn't want Daddy McNamara or any of Erik's other P.E.I.P. pals interrupting our fun before it's even begun." </p><p>William doesn't move, he feels frozen with fear. Nick doesn't take that well. He pushes the gun harder against Erik's spine, and William sees pain in his husbands face for a split second before he hides it. </p><p>The two of them lock eyes for a moment, and Erik nods his head ever so slightly. William reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out his own phone before reaching into Erik's pants pocket and grabs his.</p><p>As William pulls the phone out, he presses the panic button on the side. He knows it will send an emergency signal not only to P.E.I.P., but also directly to Wilbur's phone. </p><p>He hands the two devices to Nick, who has his free hand outstretched. He quickly pockets the phones and pulls a set of car keys out. </p><p>"Let's take my car, boys. Will, you can drive. And Erik, well, you can sit in the back with me." He throws the keys to William, who just barely manages to catch them before they hit the ground.</p><p>Nick gives William directions on where to go from the backseat, the gun never away from Erik for a second. Nick sounds bored, almost like this isn't worth his time, but the tension and fear doesn't leave William's body the whole time. Every so often, he looks in the rearview mirror, needing visual confirmation that Erik is still okay. </p><p>Nick takes them to an abandoned part of town, specifically an old firehouse. He leads them in, Nick completely unafraid of William making a break for it. Nick knows that William knows if he even thinks about running, he'll shoot Erik without a second thought. </p><p>There is a large pole in the middle of the building, which seems to make Nick happy.</p><p>"Oh, this is perfect. Don't you think so, Willy?" William doesn't answer, but Nick doesn't seem to care. He pushes Erik over towards the pole, and once he's there, he moves the gun from Erik's back to the lower-left side of his stomach.</p><p>"Willy, do you see that wire over there?" He jerks his head towards the far corner, and William looks over, seeing some disregarded copper wire in the corner. "Be a doll and go grab that for me." </p><p>Nick's voice is sickly sweet, and William doesn't hesitate to do what he asked. He scrambles over and takes the wire, bringing it back to the other man.</p><p>"Beautiful. Go ahead and tie Erik's hands to the pole with it. Above his head, of course." William doesn't want to do it, but he knows Nick isn't bluffing. </p><p>"I'm sorry." William's voice shakes as he speaks, he's on the verge of tears, and it's evident to all three of them. Erik gives him a small smile. </p><p>"Don't apologize, this isn't your fault." Erik slowly raises his hands above his head, making this as easy as possible for his husband.</p><p>William moves close to Erik and ties his wrists in the position Nick requested. He has to bite back the apology that wants to escape his mouth. </p><p>Once he's done, he presses a kiss against Erik's cheek before letting his head rest in the spot where his husband's neck and shoulder meet. A few tears slip free despite him trying so hard to keep them in.</p><p>William is scared. He's so scared. Nick is going to kill them both here. Or even worse, he's just going to kill Erik. He's going to make William have to live without his husband.</p><p>"Aww, this is sweet." Nick mocks as he grabs the back of William's hair and pulls him away from Erik. The teacher cries out, and Erik pulls at the wire holding his wrists above his head.</p><p>"Don't you fucking touch him." Erik doesn't yell, his voice is low, and that's even scarier. Nick let's go of William's hair and pulls at the wire around Erik's wrists, chuckling disbelievingly when it holds. </p><p>"I can't believe it. You actually did it." He says more to himself than either of them. The gun is removed from Erik for the first time since Nick appeared in the parking lot. </p><p>Nick turns and punches William across the face full force. Both the shock and the force of the action send him to the floor. Nick pulls his foot back and drives it into William's chest, and he can feel something crack. He curls in on himself, trying to protect his face and chest from the vicious kicks.</p><p>"Nick! Leave him alone! I'm the one you want! Just leave him out of this!" Erik yells, desperately trying to get Nick's attention off of his husband and on him.</p><p>Nick stops, and William feels pain radiating through his entire body, his head was hit several times and it's pounding. </p><p>"You're almost right, Erik. I want your phone, more specifically, the information you have on there." He pulls out said device and waves it in front of him. "Password?" </p><p>Erik grits his teeth, spitting his code out through gritted teeth. It's a 4 digit P.I.N., the date he and Will got married.</p><p>Nick types in the code with glee, pressing a kiss against Erik's cheek the same place William had moments before when it opens. </p><p>"Thanks, dear, you're the best." Nick happily starts scrolling through the contents of the phone, quickly accessing the private folder Erik has set up. The same code Erik? Really? So much for P.E.I.P.'s top hacker. </p><p>"Oh! Lookie what I found!" Nick holds the phone up in front of Erik. There's a photo on-screen that Erik as seen more than enough times for a lifetime. "You saved them! Has Willy seen them?"</p><p>"Don't you dare, Maynard !" Erik's wrists are stinging from the shallow cuts the wire creates every time he struggles, but that doesn't deter him at all. </p><p>"Awww. You remember my last name! I'm touched. Much better than 'Herbert' if you ask me." Nick kneels down next to William, who hasn't moved an inch since Nick's attack ended. "Do you remember your wedding day? More specifically, the part you spent with me? I know Erik sure does. He even kept the photos. Look!" Nick sounds gleefully excited over all this. </p><p>William lifts his head up, wincing slightly as the light of the phone hurts his eyes. He sees himself looking beat up. He remembers his time with Nick all too well. He pretty not to for Erik's sake, but he remembers every detail of it. </p><p>"It's clearly such a treasured memory for him, I think we should add some new photos to the collection." The phone is removed from William's face, and seconds later, he hears the sound of the phone taking a photo.</p><p>"Hmmm, not quite the same. First of all, you weren't wearing these." He grabs the dog tags that are dangling around his neck and yanks them off, tossing them to the side. "Secondly,  I think you need to be a bit bloodier." Nick walks away, and William can hear the sound of metal clanging around. He returns later with a metal pipe with a jagged edge.</p><p>He hits William, again and again, with the pipe, using the jagged edge to cut his arms, stomach, face, whatever part he could get. After a few minutes of the beating and Erik's screaming at Nick in the background, he stops. </p><p>"That's better!" He chirps. He takes the phone back out and starts taking photos, getting all sorts of angles. At one point, he uses his foot to tilt William's head a specific way. </p><p>"Put your hands up and step away from my son in law!" A new voice calls out, and William just barely manages to turn his head enough to see Wilbur standing in the entrance of the firehouse. </p><p>"Wilbur! So good to see you again!" Nick says, his tone taking a slightly darker tint to it. </p><p>"I'm not kidding, Nickolas, you know I'm a great shot." Nick stands with a sigh. </p><p>"Alright, you got me. I'm unarmed, so I know you're not going to shoot. It's not what P.E.I.P. does." Nick sounds cocky, but that ends when Wilbur pulls the trigger, burying a bullet in the center of Nick's head.</p><p>"Thanks for clearing up my shot." Wilbur rushes to William's side and kneels next to him.</p><p>"Shit, kid, how are you feeling?"</p><p>"'M fine. Help Erik..." Wilbur gives William another look before he goes to untie Erik. </p><p>He doesn't even wait for the wire to be off his wrists. The second he's able to, he's by his husband's side, the wire still around his right wrist. </p><p>"Will, baby, I'm sorry. Don't worry, you're going to be okay." William smiles up at him and brings his hand up to his husbands face.</p><p>"I love you, Erik." William mutters, but Erik still understands him.</p><p>"I love you too, Will." Wilbur comes next to Erik and places his hand on his son's shoulder.</p><p>"Come on, let's get him to P.E.I.P." The two of them manage to get William up and out to the van, hurting him as little as possible. Erik sits in the back with William's head in his lap, playing with his hair softly. </p><p>Once their back at P.E.I.P., William is swept into the infirmary, Erik being taken into another room to take care of his wrists. Shortly after that's taken care of Erik's allowed to see William. </p><p>His husband is on the good pain killers and smiles wildly when he sees Erik enter the room. </p><p>"It's my husband! Hi Erik!" Erik can't help but laugh as he sits on the bed next to him. </p><p>"Hi dear. How are you feeling?"</p><p>"I feel so good right now! But I'd be better if you cuddled me." William pouts slightly, and Erik pretends to think for a moment.</p><p>"I think I can do that." William gets very excited and grabs Erik's arm, pulling him into the bed. The second he can, William wraps his arms around Erik and presses his face into his chest.</p><p>"'m sorry I lost your dog tags." William's voice is muffled. Erik leans down and kisses the top of his head, his arms tightening oh so slightly. </p><p>"Don't worry about them, I can get another set. You, on the other hand, are irreplaceable." Sure, it's a bit corny, but it's the truth. William is so unique and unforgettable. If he were to leave Erik or, god forbid, die, Erik knows he would never love again.    </p><p>William says something so unintelligible that Erik can't even begin to decipher it. He just shakes his head with a chuckle and rubs his thumb gently up and down. </p><p>"Go to sleep, Mr. Herbert." It takes less than a minute for William to be snoring, and Erik follows son after. If a few hours later, Wilbur checks in on them and takes a picture of the two of them curled around each other, well, he's Erik's father. It's his job to do so.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi. </p><p>Tumblr<br/>Ijustwantjohnmcnamaratobehappyok</p></blockquote></div></div>
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